A Hero Comes Home
by ElishaNevaeh
Summary: A young girl searches for a way to free her and her sister from their tyrant uncle and go home. What happens when she befriends the famous Sarmatian knights? Will she be able to secure her the freedom she longs for? What will her time with the knights reveal about her past...and her future? Better than summary. Reviews welcome. Thanks for reading. :)
1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1: Freedom~

The journey from Rome had been long and tiring, but Enna knew she couldn't let her guard down, they weren't safe yet. Looking over at the horse beside her she tossed a faint smile to its rider.

"What do you think Hadrian's Wall is like? Do you think it's really as amazing as they say?" The younger girl asked looking over at Enna with curiosity burning in her emerald eyes. Reaching over Enna brushed a piece of dark brown hair from the girls face and gave her a warm smile.

"I'm sure it is even more amazing than we could ever imagine." She said before turning her attention back to their surroundings. She suddenly felt uneasy as she peered through the fog to the forest beyond. She saw the arrow coming before it hit one of the men at the front of their caravan, but didn't have time to call out before he fell to the ground dead. As shouts erupted all around them and the men drew their swords Enna jumped down from her horse and pulled the other girl to the ground with her. Everyone had stopped and was now fighting the oncoming Woads as she lead the young girl over to the carriage.

"Don't move; I'll come back when the fighting is over!" She ordered as the girl crawled under the carriage where the friar was already hiding. Enna couldn't help but smirk at the whimpering man as she picked up a sword nearby. Spinning around she drove it through an attacking Woad who fell dead at her feet.

"Enna!" The other girl called from her hiding place.

"Stay!" Enna barked over her shoulder as she took out more and more Woads. She didn't even notice seven knights join in the fighting until the last Woad fell, but she didn't care and rushed over to the carriage.

"Kaelyn? Kaelyn!" Enna called as she reached the carriage.

"Enna!" The younger girl called back as she left her hiding place and ran to the open arms of the older girl. Pulling back to inspect the little brunette Enna smiled, happy to see she was unharmed. They were deaf to everything around them until one of the knights put their hand on Enna's shoulder. Still prepared to fight she spun around pointing her bloody sword at the man's throat as he jumped back. He had curly black hair and dark eyes that watched her carefully while the rest of the caravan and knights gathered around them.

"He means you no harm, lady." Another knight said from where he stood beside the bishop. Enna shifted her eyes from him to the bishop to make sure it was true and when the bishop nodded she lowered her sword, but kept her other arm wound protectively around Kaelyn. She smirked as all of the knights gave the bishop and his men a questioning look.

"This is my niece Enna Taris and her sister Kaelyn." Bishop Germanius said, not even trying to mask his displeased tone as he glared at his eldest niece. It wasn't until they were heading off toward Hadrian's Wall again that anyone said another word to the girls. Enna had insisted that Kaelyn ride with her until her shock from the fight had passed and the young girl was now fast asleep in her seat in front of her sister.

"You were very brave back there." The man who had been next to the bishop said as he rode up beside her at the head of the caravan.

"It doesn't take bravery to protect something important to you, Arthur Castus. I would have thought you would know that." Enna replied without taking her eyes off of the road.

"You know of me, m'lady?" Arthur asked seeming surprised.

"You...and your knights. And I am no lady." She said.

Turning to see the rest of the caravan she looked over all of the Sarmatian knights and frowned as she remembered why they were here; these men had been taken from their homes to serve Rome. Glancing at her uncles carriage the sick feeling in her stomach grew worse so she could taste the bitterness in her mouth. In all honestly she hated her uncle more than she ever thought she could hate another person, but she smiled with the satisfaction of knowing he hated her just as much.

"I'm amazed your sister wasn't praying with the friar under the carriage." Arthur said.

"We don't pray to our uncles imaginary friend." Enna said loud enough for her words to carry back to her uncle in his carriage.

"You're not religious?" The youngest, Galahad, said in surprise as he rode up alongside her.

"No, my sister and I are much like Arthur; half of one thing and half of another, but we didn't choose the Roman god. We follow our own path and do what we have to in order to survive. Some day soon I'll take Kaelyn home, away from all of this, away from Rome." She said watching her sister sleep in her arms. The three of them were quiet for the rest of the journey and Enna found her mind wandering off to more pleasant things. Stopping her horse off to the side of the road she smiled and nudged her sister.

"Kaelyn? Kaelyn, we're here." She said softly as the young girl stirred and rubbed her eyes. Looking up at the giant wall before them Kaelyn smiled and looked over her shoulder at Enna who smiled back and urged her horse forward. Inside the fort they were shown to their rooms before being allowed to roam around. In freshly changed clothes Enna exited her room and went to find her sister whom, she knew, was already looking around the fort. As the sun went down she was about to pass the open-air tavern when someone called to her from the mass of people inside. Looking over she found Galahad waving her over to where he and the other knights were seated.

"I don't think we introduced ourselves earlier; I'm Galahad. The fat one with the baby is Bors." Galahad said cheerfully as the burly, bald man gave a warning grunt. Laughing it off Galahad continued on.

"That's Tristan, Dagonet's the quiet one by Bors, Lancelot's the one you nearly killed earlier, and this disgusting thing here is Gawain." He said gesturing to each as he introduced them. Laughing at the young knight's jab Gawain gave the him a sharp nudge knocking him from his seat. Enna could tell that they were all a bit drunk, but was surprised to find herself smiling at their antics. Making her way over to Lancelot her expression fell a bit as she recalled her actions from earlier.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior earlier; I over reacted and hope you'll forgive me." She said when he looked up at her. Flashing her a smile meant to charm Lancelot stood up and stared into her eyes.

"I'll forgive you if you dance with me." He said, a sly grin playing on his lips. With a soft laugh Enna took his outstretched hand. Being sure to stay well out of range of the knives Galahad, Tristan, and Gawain were throwing they started to dance and Enna actually found herself giving a genuine laugh. Their fun was ended when Lancelot tripped over her long skirt. Lifting her skirt to show her feet Enna gave a heavy sigh before walking over to the three other knights throwing knives.

"Could I borrow that?" She asked pointing to the knife stabbing the table in front of Gawain. Smiling he gave a small nod and she quickly grabbed the knife. Falling into the empty seat across from him she chose a length that would be appropriate she began cutting a strip from the bottom hem of her dress. All the knights had stopped what they were doing and were now watching Enna as she tore a fair bit of her dress off. Standing up she made sure it wasn't touching her feet and stabbed the knife into the table again.

"That's better." She said as she sat down again. With a collective laugh the knights went back to what they were doing, all except Gawain who was staring at her from across the table.

"Why are you and your sister traveling with your uncle?" He asked.

"He's our guardian; our parents passed away a long time ago. Since then we've traveled with our uncle wherever he goes." Enna said, her mood seeming to deplete at the mention of the Bishop.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to upset you." Gawain said noting the shift in her mood. Looking up at him through crimson hair she gave a weak smile.

"You didn't upset me, so don't apologize. I was thinking of why my uncle is here." She said hatred and sadness mixing in her eyes.

"He's here to give us our freedom." He said leaning forward in his seat with a curious expression on his face. His gold hair fell forward on either side of his face and Enna noticed, for the first time, how hansom he was.

"No, he's come to give you a piece of paper. Rome has no right to say you're not free; you've all been free since the day you were born. I know how hard it is to live by someone else's orders." Enna said, but Gawain could tell from the look in her moss-green eyes that her mind was somewhere far away.

"How do you know what it's like?" Lancelot said with a cold edge to his voice as he walked over to the pair.

"Ever since my parents died Kaelyn and I have had to follow our uncles every word. Back in Rome he refused to let us socialize with men, we were escorted everywhere, it was miserable; we'll only be free when he dies or allows us to go. That will be the day I take my sister home." She said softly. Nearly every person in the tavern had gone silent to listen to the sad, mysterious girl before them.

"My parents were killed when I was just a young girl, Kaelyn was barely even a year old. We were sent away to Rome to live with our uncle, but he controls every last thing we do. He tells us what we can and can't do, who we can be friends with, where we can and can't go, he has people watch over every last thing we do. I have been trying to find a way to get him to let us go home, but he's determined to make us live the way he wants us to. I just want to take my sister home; she doesn't remember anything about our home." She explained lost in thought. For a few minutes everyone was silent; it was only broken by the sound of Gawain sliding his chair away from the table.

"Come on, that's enough sadness for one day." He said standing in front of Enna with his hand outstretched to her. Slightly confused she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet as they started to dance around the tavern. As they swept past one of the pillars at the opening of the tavern Enna caught sight of her sister and smiled.

"Kaelyn, grab a partner!" Enna called to her as they passed. Smiling merely Kaelyn ran over and pulled Lancelot to his feet. They quickly figured out what dance Enna and Gawain were doing and joined in along with Bors and his lady. They were all laughing as they danced together and the rest of the tavern patrons clapped, but sadly the girls were tired from their long journey.

"Goodnight, and thank you for the dance." Enna said as Kaelyn drug her toward the exit.

"Goodnight!" Kaelyn called over her shoulder as they headed off toward their room.

"You like Lancelot." Enna cooed happily as they entered the room and fell onto her bed.

"Well, it seems you have an admirer of your own." Kaelyn said as she sat down beside her sister.

"What do you mean?" Enna asked though she knew exactly what the younger girl was talking about.

"The blonde knight, Gawain. I can see that he likes you, but do you like him?" She asked looking over at Enna. Looking down at her hands Enna's mood faltered again.

"I only met him today, it's impossible for me to like him already. Come on, we need to get some rest." She whispered as she curled up next to the wall. Putting a hand on the older girls back Kaelyn gave a soft sigh.

"You can't keep running from every person you like." She said before crossing the room to the her own bed.

"I've been running for so long I've forgotten how to stop." Enna said softly as she crawled into the bed. Looking back Kaelyn could see her sister shaking and knew she was crying, but she knew not to say anything and went to sleep without another woord. The next morning Enna awoke to Kaelyn shaking her with tears soaking her face.

"Kaelyn? What is it? What's wrong?" She asked now wide awake as she sat up and took the young girls face in her hands.

"Enna, they're leaving! You can't let them go, they'll all be killed!" Kaelyn cried.

"What are you talking about? What's going on Kaelyn?" Enna said starting to panic.

"Uncle didn't give them the papers; he's asked them to do one last mission for Rome. They're going north of the wall to rescue the pope's godchild, but..." Kaelyn trailed off as another sob racked her body. Seizing her sister by the shoulders Enna locked her eyes with Kaelyn's.

"There's something else. Kaelyn you have to tell me now!" She said firmly and Kaelyn looked up at her with fear in her eyes.

"The Saxon's are headed there as well." That was all Kaelyn had to say to have her sister jumping out of bed, grabbing her sword, and dragging her out of the room toward the stables.

"Is this true uncle?" Enna called out as soon as their uncle was close enough to hear her.

"Enna, it's no concern of yours if..."

"Is it true?!" She snapped cutting the bishop off. Glaring at her as she stopped beside him and the Sarmatian knights he gave a cold smile.

"They are fulfilling their duty to Rome." He said so calmly it made her sick to her stomach. Letting go of Kaelyn's arm Enna stared defiantly into her uncle's eyes.

"How dare you ask this of them. You were sent here to free them, yet now you ask them to risk their lives for people too foolish to know better than to settle north of the wall? This is not the will of your god; it is the will of the spoilt child inside you that wants to play with his toys." She said sharply. Luckily she had already braced herself for the slap across her face that followed and smiled to herself when she heard Galahad telling Gawain to keep calm. Locking her eyes with her uncles once again she gave him a look cold enough to freeze hell itself.

"Bring me my horse." She called to Jols who stood beside his own horse. Seeing how angry she was he quickly did as she said and brought her black Clydesdale out to stand by the others.

"Kaelyn, go get my cloak from my room." Enna ordered, her eyes still locked with the bishops. When her sister returned she put on her cloak and mounted her great beast of a horse.

"I'll make you a deal uncle. I go with them; if I return you release my sister and I from your keep." She said calmly as she looked down at her uncle and his guards. He smirked at this and stepped forward.

"And if you do not?" He asked.

"If I die I'll have no way of knowing what you do." Enna replied.

"Enna, please don't go! Please, I can't lose you!" Kaelyn cried rushing over to her sister's side. Smiling down at her Enna put a comforting hand on her cheek and made her look up at her.

"Do you remember the war stories I used to tell you about father? Do you remember what I told you mother would say every time he left?" She asked now ignoring everything else around her as her sibling nodded slowly.

"A hero comes home." Kaelyn said, repeating the line she had heard so many times as a child. Smiling warmly Enna brushed her thumb over her sister's cheek and nodded.

"I will come back to you," she said as her eyes drifted up to Lancelot sitting two horses down from her, "and I'll make sure he does too." Following her sister's gaze Kaelyn saw Lancelot smiling at her and she flashed a weak smile of her own. Stepping away from Enna's horse Kaelyn made her way over to where Lancelot and Gawain sat side by side.

"Don't let anything happen to her; she's all I have left." Kaelyn said and both men gave a reassuring nod. With that Enna and the knights left the fort and headed for the wall.

"You didn't have to come." Lancelot said as he rode to her right.

"I saw an opportunity to free my sister and I and took it." She said as though it were the easiest thing in the world to figure out. The sound of hoofbeats to her left made her look over at Gawain as he smiled at her.

"Arthur's right, you are brave" He said, but his eyes showed his concern as they rode through the gate and into the north.


	2. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2: Always Strong~

Riding at the back of the group Enna smiled to herself; she found the beauty of the north surprisingly freeing and relished the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair. She enjoyed it even more when they entered the forest and it started to rain, but her joy was short lived as the rain ended and it became clear they were not alone in the woods.

"Woads; they're tracking us." Tristan said as he came to a stop beside Arthur.

"Where?"

"Everywhere." He replied and Enna could see Horton, her uncles secretary, begin to shake on his horse in front of her. They moved on slowly until the Woads began cutting off their path. Taking off through the woods they tried to find another path through, but the Woads continued to cut them off at every turn. Finally the Woads had them surrounded in a small clearing. Looking around Enna kept her hand on her sword waiting for them to attack.

"What are you waiting for?" Gawain yelled when they didn't move to attack. Only a minute later the Woads began to back away, disappearing back into the forest. After a few more shared words the group continued on toward their destination. Later, as the clouds started to clear and let some light reach through the forest, Enna finally noticed a fair sized trail of blood running down her left arm.

"You're hurt." Dagonet stated casually as he rode up beside her.

"What is it?" Gawain asked from her other side when he saw Dag eyeing her arm.

"Enna's injured." Dag said holding up the girls arm for his friend to see. Seeing the worried look in Gawain's eyes she snatched her arm away and hid it below her cloak.

"I'm fine; it's just a scratch." She said urging her horse ahead of theirs. She didn't like when people worried about her and the fact that Gawain was worried about her made her mind race back to what her sister had said. Shaking her head Enna silently scolded herself. _I'm just imagining things. Gawain and I barely know each other, how could he have feelings for me? _She thought as she looked back at the blonde man riding behind her. Gritting her teeth she turned to face the trail again and let out a quiet groan. Why did she care what he thought of her? If he was stupid enough to have feelings for her then so be it, she would not return them. When she was still a child a man had betrayed her and she had vowed to never trust another man in her life, but even as she thought back to that day she couldn't help but glance back at Gawain who was now talking with Galahad._  
_

"I've been meaning to ask you, what sort of things does your sister like?" Lancelot asked from beside her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"If you intend to harbor feelings for my sister the least you could do is learn her name." Enna said flashing him a frown.

"I know her na..."

"We're here." Enna said cutting him off as they exited the woods. Following Arthur's lead they all urged their horses into a gallop, but Enna quickly slowed her's to a near stop as they drew closer to the main estate before them. As they reached the wall surrounding the main house the guards closed the gate making them stop outside.

"Who are you?" One of the guards asked from atop the white stone wall.

"Iam Arthur Castus, commander of the Sarmatian Knights, sent by Bishop Germanius of Rome." Arthur replied as though he had expected this. Looking to the guard next to him the first guard ordered him to open the gate; as he did so Arthur and the knights looked around at the people that were now staring at them. They were all thin, wearing ragged clothes, and speckled with mud from where they had been working in the fields around the estate.

"It is a wonder you have come!" A familiar, sickeningly friendly voice called to them as the gate opened again and a plump man in roman garbs walked up to them. Enna blocked out the conversation that followed between the man and Arthur and pulled her hood farther over her face.

"You know him?" Bors asked when he noticed her staying at the back of the group as though to hide.

"Yes, and I can't say I'm very fond of him." She hissed as she tucked her hair inside her hood.

"Go back to work, all of you!" Marius yelled as his guards began moving into the crowd around the knights, pushing people back toward the fields. Enna couldn't hold back the low growl the rumbled from her throat and bit her tongue a moment later as punishment for doing anything to draw attention to herself. She barely noticed Arthur dismount and approach Marius face to face, but smiled as she saw the pompous Roman and his family retreat back to their house to gather their belongings. A short time later the villagers and Marius were almost ready to leave as Tristan arrived to report on his scouting mission. They had only just finished their conversation when the air carried to their ears an unnerving sound; the beating of Saxon drums. As everyone was finishing gathering their things Arthur's attention was drawn to two men bricking up the entrance to what looked to be a cellar. Drawing his sword he dismounted and approached them ordering the guards that tried to block his path to move.

"What is this?" He asked addressing the men working at the entrance.

"You cannot go in there; no one goes in there. This place is forbidden." The younger man said, but Arthur paid him no mind as he guided both men away with the side of his sword.

"What are you doing? Stop this!" Marius called as he rushed over, only to be blocked by Galahad and his horse. Stepping forward Arthur put a hand to the stoned blocking the door.

"Arthur we have no time." Lancelot warned, but his commander wasn't listening.

"Do you not hear the drums?" Galahad chimed in. Arthur simply turned and called to Dagonet to open the entrance. With only a few swings of his ax the stone wall was demolished and he kicked the door behind it to see if it was open. When it did not open Arthur requested the key only to be told it was locked from the inside. With a few more strong kicks from Dag the door flew open to reveal a dark stairwell. Grabbing a torch Arthur led the way while Lancelot dismounted and followed. Gawain and Enna both followed suit and dismounted making their way to the door. Grabbing the men who had been sealing it off Gawain pushed them ahead of him as he, Enna, and Dagonet followed the others. The farther down they went the clearer they could hear man chanting a prayer in Latin.

"Who are these defilers of the Lord's temple?" The monk spat as Arthur and Lancelot approached him. Enna could already smell the rotting corpses, but she still wasn't prepared for what lay in the room before her.

"Out of the way!" Lancelot ordered as the monk stood to block his path, but seeing the double swords on the knight's back he quickly stepped aside. Looking around the room they saw many cells close to the floor, many with dead bodies still in them; Enna wretched at the sight.

"Are you alright?" Gawain asked looking back at her. Giving a weak nod she kept her eyes low, trying to avoid looking at the death that surrounded them. She was broken out of her daze by Arthur instructing them to check the cells for survivors.

"Wait here." Gawain ordered as she braced herself against the wall. For the first time Enna found herself smiling at the fact he was worried about her and was more than willing to listen to the golden knight.

"How dare you set foot in this holy place!" The younger monk who had been walling up the entrance hissed as he rushed over and grabbed ahold of Lancelot arm as he peered into a cell. Without a single word he stood and drove his sword through the man before letting him fall to the floor.

"That was a man of God." The monk who had been praying earlier said a he looked down at his friends lifeless body.

"Not my God!" Lancelot snapped before turning his attention back to the cells.

"This one's dead!" Dag called from across the room where he was looking through holle-cells.

"By the smell they are all dead." Gawain said as he stepped around the dead monk to help his friends search. Stopping he turned back to the other two monks as they cowered in the corner.

"And you, you even move and you'll join him." He said gesturing to the dead monk. Casting a quick glance at Enna he went back to searching the cells. Noticing the monks eyeing her as though they had an idea Enna grinned and move her cloak aside to reveal the sword that hung in her hand. Seeming taken aback the monks inched farther into the corner and Enna went back to watching the knights.

"Arthur!" Dag called as he opened the last hole-cell and lifted a small blonde boy out. They all seemed surprised that the boy was still alive, but Enna could tell by his size he hadn't been there long. Finally opening the last cell Arthur found the only other survivor, a young woman only a year or two older than Enna. Making their way out of the cellar Gawain insisted on walking behind Enna in case she fell, but she was past the point of caring and only smiled again when they got outside and the cold wind hit her face. Feeling suddenly dizzy she grabbed onto the closest thing she could find to steady herself and jumped when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. Looking up she found she had grabbed ahold of Gawain and thought to pull away only to find her body would not obey her. She couldn't even hear what was happening around them as he led her over to one of the wagons and told her to sit. Her mind only cleared for a moment when she heard a loud slap cut through the air. Looking up her eyes caught sight of Marius' wife lying on the ground and she pushed past Gawain as she ran to the woman's side.

"Thank you." She said as Enna helped her to her feet, but as Enna was about to reply everything around her started to go dark. Without even thinking she called out the first name that came to her as she started to fall.

"Gawain!" In an instant he was there catching her and she mentally scolded herself for calling out. _Why did I call out to you? Why do you look so worried, golden knight? _Her mind whispered as her eyes met his the moment before she lost consciousness. Opening her eyes again she looked around to find she was in one of the wagons with the little boy and the other young woman.

"What's your name?" The woman asked when he noticed Enna's eyes wandering around the wagon.

"Enna; what's yours?" She asked making her eyes focus on the brunette sitting beside her.

"Guinevere, the boy is Lucan." The woman said as he boy looked over at them.

"How long was I asleep?" Enna asked pushing herself into a sitting position. She winced as every muscle in her gave a searing ache to argue the movement.

"Only a few hours." Marius' wife informed her as she rushed over to help her sit up.

"It's been a long time, Fulcinia." Enna smiled looking up at the woman.

"Yes, it has. How is your sister?" Fulcinia asked taking a seat beside her crimson haired friend.

"She's well; she's waiting for me at Hadrian's Wall."

"Why on earth did your uncle drag you there and more importantly why did he allow you to come all the way out here with these men?"

"We have a deal that if I come back alive he will release Kaelyn and I from his keep, and as for the knights," Enna trailed off looking out the back of the wagon at Dagonet who rode behind them, "They're not as bad as they seem." Fulcinia seemed satisfied with her response and was about to go back to what she had been doing earlier when Enna grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Why did I collapse?" She asked, but Fulcinia's eyes simply drifted to the girls arm. Letting go of the woman's wrist Enna looked over at her own arm and winced; he wound from the Woad attack had been stitched up, but it was larger that Enna had thought. Sighing she made sure the sleeve of her dress wouldn't fall and laid back down to sleep. When she awoke again she was more than surprised to find Fulcinia, Guinevere, and Lucan gone and Gawain sitting beside her.

"Have we stopped?" She asked. Jumping slightly Gawain looked down at her, but didn't smile like she thought he would.

"Yes, we've made camp for the night. Arthur had us move the Woad woman to another wagon and the boy Lucan is staying with Dagonet." He said bluntly, turning his attention to the closed flap at the back of the of the wagon.

"What's wrong?" Enna asked noting his dedication to avoiding her eyes.

"I don't understand how a woman can be as hard headed as you! You get angry when people worry about you, you won't let anyone help you unless you're unconscious, you're so stubborn you nearly got yourself killed!" He snapped without looking at her. Sitting up Enna was no longer mad at him for worrying about her, she was mad because he was mad at her.

"It wasn't that bad." She said keeping the anger from her voice as best she could.

"If Dag hadn't cleaned it and stitched you up when he did the infection could have gotten worse and killed you!" Gawain yelled finally looking in her eyes. Enna was about to yell at him, but stopped when she saw something in his eyes buried below the anger. Looking down at her hands she frowned.

"I'm sorry." She whispered catching him off guard. When he didn't say anything she looked up to find him staring at her in disbelief.

"All my life I've had men telling me to toughen up and be stronger; I guess I let it go to my head. I should have let Dagonet patch me up when I first noticed it, but I thought you would all think I was weak. I'm sorry for not listening and I'm sorry for making you worry about me." She said softly. It was the first time in years that she had actually allowed herself to sound like a woman rather than a man; she had to admit it felt nice. After a long silence Gawain leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. Her body went rigid at the gesture; half of her wanted to push him away and run as she had so many times before, but half of her wanted to melt into the embrace. Fighting ever instinct on her she let herself relax against his chest and instantly felt a huge weight lift off of her. A few minutes passed before she gave a faint smile and let her arms wrap around him.

"You were the first one I thought of. I called out for you and you were there; no one has ever done that before. No one has ever ran when I called." She whispered thinking back to earlier. Putting a finger under her chin he lifted her face so their eyes met.

"I will always run when you call." He said as he leaned down, slowly closing the space between them. This time she couldn't fight her instincts and turned her face away right as he was about to kiss her.

"Gawain, I have been hurt before." Enna said turning back to him when he pulled back.

"Enna, nothing and no one will ever hurt you again so long as I am here." He said firmly. She thought it over for a second before making up her mind; Kaelyn was right she couldn't keep running. Smiling she put a soft hand on his cheek and leaned up as he leaned down. They met in the middle and as their lips touched Enna felt as though she would start crying. As the kiss grew more passionate her confidence grew and she gently tugged at the hem of his shirt. Catching on he pulling the garment over his head and tossed it to the side. Breaking the kiss Enna marveled at his scar marked chest, running her hands over each one before placing a kiss there. Having kissed the last scar she looked up at Gawain and caressed a piece of his hair that hung over the front of his shoulder.

"My golden knight." She smiled letting the words that had been racing through her mind since noon finally escape. Gawain smiled at her title for him before laying her back on the bed Fulcinia had made for her. Later they lay exhausted in each other's arms with clothing scattered all around them. A mess of blood red hair flared out on the pillow behind Enna while Gawain carefully ran his fingers through the soft tresses. Enna had finally let go of the past and smiled at her golden knight as she thought of what the future might hold.

"What?" Gawain asked when she let out a slight laugh. Looking over at him she smiled and shook her head.

"Kaelyn's not going to shut up when she hears about this." She said merely as Gawain joined in with her laughing. Once they stopped laughing Enna sighed and snuggled closer to his chest and he put his arms around her to keep her close; together they drifted off into the most peaceful sleep either of them had ever had.


End file.
